Istanbul & Cappadocia, 6 Nights

A private transfer from the airport to the hotel; the drive can take an hour or more at rush hour. The day is kept open so that a late flight does not cost you any sightseeing. If you arrive with energy to spare, a gentle walk in Sultanahmet at dusk shows the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia lit across the square. Dinner is yours to choose, and your guide can suggest a vegetarian-friendly restaurant nearby.

A guided day in Sultanahmet. Hagia Sophia first, because visiting is paused around prayer times; foreign visitors follow the upper-gallery route, and shoulders and knees must be covered, with a scarf for women. Then the Blue Mosque next door, and the Basilica Cistern, a sixth-century underground reservoir with its forest of columns. The afternoon is Topkapi Palace, home of the Ottoman sultans, which is closed on Tuesdays, so we reorder the days if needed.

A boat trip on the Bosphorus, the strait that splits Istanbul between Europe and Asia, passing waterfront palaces, wooden mansions and the fortresses built for the 1453 siege. After lunch, the covered Grand Bazaar, a maze of some four thousand shops selling carpets, lamps and leather, then the nearby Spice Bazaar for Turkish delight and dried fruit. The Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays, in which case the shopping moves to the Spice Bazaar and the streets around it.

A morning flight to Kayseri or Nevsehir; the road transfer into the Goreme area takes roughly an hour or more, depending on the airport. After checking in, the afternoon is at leisure. Late in the day, a private drive to Uchisar, the highest point in the region, where a honeycombed rock fortress looks over the valleys. Sunset is the time to climb, and the cave-style hotels in the area are worth a walk through at dusk.

An early start at Goreme Open Air Museum, open from about 8 am; it closes earlier in winter (about 5 pm) than in summer (about 7 pm), so we confirm the hours when you book. Monks carved churches into the rock here, and their frescoes include the Dark Church. Then Pasabag, where the mushroom-capped fairy chimneys stand in a group, and the pottery town of Avanos on the Red River, with a workshop visit. Those who want a balloon flight book it for dawn on this morning.

A half-day circuit to an underground city, either Kaymakli or Derinkuyu. People once sheltered here in tunnels, with stone doors that rolled across the passage; it involves low, narrow corridors and many steps, which not everyone enjoys. After lunch, a drive past the pigeon valleys and a view over Goreme from the lookout. The late afternoon is free, for a spa, a pottery lesson or a last walk through the town.

Breakfast, then the transfer to Kayseri or Nevsehir airport for the flight to Istanbul and your onward connection. Leave generous time at Istanbul airport if you are changing terminals or airlines. A balloon flight that was cancelled for wind earlier in the stay can sometimes be rebooked for this morning, but only if your flight allows it; do not plan one without leaving a margin.